The Careers
by miaandvinny
Summary: Pina trainer her entire life for this- ever since she was born, she knew that this would be the time that she can bring glory to her family name. Buck never expected to be picked, but when he is thrown into the 68th Hunger Games, the careers take notice of him. Narrated from these two characters, they face the challenges that Buck never dreamed of and that Pina never expected.
1. Pina

It isn't as though I'm _not_ excited for the games. Honestly, I am. This is_ my_ chance for glory. Not my brother's, and not my father's. No longer would I be 'Loro Nairn's youngest daughter' or, and I think this is the worst, 'Quiviut's littlest sister.' I would be 'Pina Nairn, the victor of the 68th Hunger Games.'

The thought made the butterflies in my chest start flying again.

To bring home glory to District 1 is supposed to be my ultimate goal. And in a way, it sort of is. But my mind races with so many more that it's hard to concentrate on just that one. I don't _jus_t want to bring home glory to District 1, but to the Nairn name as well. If I win these games- no, _when_ I win them- the Nairn family will have had 4 victors in total since the beginning of the games- my dad, my brother, my great grandmother, and then finally me. Only 5 of us died in the games- my oldest sister Velvet, my grandfather, my uncle, and my other great grandmother. Not too bad of a ratio.

My mom woke me up at 5 in the morning, nearly six hours before the reaping would begin. Before I will officially volunteer to sign what may be my death warrant.

No, it will the time where I officially sign my ticket to greatness and join the ranks of my father and brother.

My older sister Vicuna helps my mom with my brown hair, curling it so it rests just above my shoulders. Vicuna fusses over what she refers to the "rat's nest", complaining under her breath as she does. It was impossible to work with, I knew that from experience. If it was up to me, I would just get it all cut off, but I knew that it would hurt me sponsor-wise.

Vicuna, Velvet, and Quiviut all had beautiful hair. Velvet and Vicuna got my grandmother's thin blonde hair, and they kept it straight at all times. Quiviut had dirty blonde hair that he spiked up. I had hair that was stringy and flat.

Life's not fair, is it?

"These stupid games…" Vicuna murmurs. Neither my mom nor I say anything. Vicuna was only 1 year younger than Velvet was when she was killed in the games, and she practically had to beg my parents to let her skip volunteering and quit training to become a hairdresser instead. Never before in my life did I see my dad so upset- I truly thought that they were going to kill her. Of course they didn't, but they forced Vicuna to go into a less glamorous job- she was now studying to be a teacher.

I remember my dad turning to Quiviut and me- Quiviut only 5 years my elder and me only 10 at the time. "What, do you want to quit as well? Are my kids that cowardly? Would Velvet have quit?" He growled.

I didn't quit then, and I won't quit now_. _I _will_ be the victor of the 68th Hunger Games.

In an attempt to swallow my fear and enjoy the remainder of the day, I watch my mom's eyebrows pinch in concentration as she tries to beautify me. It takes Vicuna and my mom all day to get my hair and makeup done. I wear the same, elegant orange dress that Velvet wore for her reaping ceremony. The dress goes right onto the floor, and it fades into a lighter color the closer to the ground it gets. My mom wraps a diamond necklace around my neck before she finally lets me look in the mirror.

Compared to how Velvet looked, I share an appearance with an ogre. The dress was too long on me- mom refused to cute it to my size. Velvet was much more slender, and her face was much softer. While her icy blue eyes popped with the orange dress, my brown ones became muddled compared to it. My darker skin took attention away from me and right to the bright dress, though I suppose that's not too bad.

"You look beautiful." My mom finally says, placing her two hands on my shoulders.

"I look like a little kid who got hold of her mom's wardrobe." I groan.

"You're signing up for a literal fight to the death and you're still concerned about looks?" Vicuna raises an eyebrow at me.

"Vicuna," My mom says sharply, "It's not a 'literal fight to the death.'"

"It _technically_ is." I point out, "But I promise to do the fighting and not the dying, alright?"

"Just like Velvet promised…" Vicuna mutters in a voice barely above a whisper, though she may of well have shouted it. As soon as the words escape her mouth, Vicuna's eyes widen and she takes a sharp intake of breath as though he was trying to see if we actually heard her. We did. We heard her loud and clear.

I never saw mom so angry.

Mom's hand whipped out faster than I would have thought possible, and it connects with Vicuna's cheek with a thud. Vicuna's head whips to the side and she lets out a loud yelp of surprise. After that, all was quiet. Vicuna brings a hand up to feel the side of her cheek, her mouth opening slightly. My mom is silent for a moment, apparently just as surprised.

Mom never hit _anyone_. Even when Vicuna didn't want to volunteer, my mom kept her cool and talked it out with her. Even when I smashed a kitchen plate of Quiviut snuck out late at night.

"Mom…" I say softly, my voice rising in what's almost a question. I didn't realize how tense I was until I spoke.

"Vicuna, I'm…" My mom trails off, looking at my sister.

"Let's just… go down to dinner." Vicuna snaps, standing up and turning on her toes, walking down the stairs. Her heels click sharply on the stairs as she walks. As angry as she seemed, I could almost detect a hint of guilt in my sister's voice as well.

I look at my mom, thinking about saying something, though I decide it would be best to remain quiet and follow Vicuna. I reach our living room moments after Vicuna, and my dad stands next to Quiviut, waiting for me. My mom trails behind us, standing half in the living room and half in the hall.

"Ready?" My dad asks, a large smile plastered onto his face. An ignorant, happy smile.

"As I'll ever be."


	2. Buck

"Get up, Bucky," my sister mutters as she pokes me in the back with her foot.

"5 more minutes, Eve." I groan as I pull the blanket over my head.

"You said that the last ten '5 minutes ago'," Eve points out as she pokes me again.

"But this time I mean it."

"Come on, Buck, you know what day it is."

"Yeah, do you really think I could forget?" I ask as I throw the sheets off me. "That's why I wanted to sleep in, you know. It might be my last night here."

It was meant as a joke, but Eve clearly doesn't look amused.

"Angus wants us both at breakfast." Eve looks at me, standing with her hands on her hips.

_God, you would think a 10 year old would be a little less sassy. _

Angus did tell us he wanted us both down to see him early. Though he promised to do our morning chores, so I guess it wasn't that bad.

"Let's go, Eve." I place a hand on her shoulder and lead her out of the attic and down the ladder. Our one horse, an old plow named Willow that I brought to Angus in exchange for a place for Eve and I to live.

It was a terrible deal on Angus' part, at least in the beginning- Eve and I cost about 10 times more than that horse was worth. Now I was starting to pull my own weight, but it still made me wonder why he took us in.

_It's because he felt bad for us. _

But pity was something most people, including Angus, couldn't afford. More than once I had to take an apple from the market place for dinner. On the years where the crops ran dry or we lost a cow to coyotes or disease, I would pick fights with other boys and have Eve bet on me. Angus never seemed to know about our ways to get money, and if we told him I'm sure he would have made us stop. But he must have wondered how we got the food we did.

_Ignorance is bliss._

But Angus wasn't ignorant. He knew what I was doing, I was sure of that, but we all needed the money, and it was best for all of us to just ignore it.

"Does he want us to get ready?" I ask Eve, petting Willow as I walk out of the barn with Eve.

_I never spent the money on useful stuff, though. Never food for the cattle or new tools. Just candy for me and sometimes Eve._

Eve shook her head slightly, "I think he just wants to talk."

"You know that's what people say when they're angry at us, right? What did you do this time?"

"What did_ I_ do?!" Eve huffed, "_You're_ the one always doing something stupid!"

"Yeah, but you're the only one getting caught."

"Oh shut up." Ever rolls her eyes, "Just enjoy the reaping day, okay?"

_How could I not?_

Eve and I walked in silence until we got to the house and opened the door slowly.

"Buck? Eve? Can y'all make yourselves useful and set the table?" Angus shouts over his shoulder at us as soon as we step into the door.

"Is that…" Eve trails off and looks at me.

"Bacon?" I finish for her, poking my head into kitchen. The house, if you could call it that, had two rooms. Angus' bedroom, which was the first thing you stepped into- was connected to the kitchen- which was just some shelves with pots full of rice and oats, rotten vegetables that Angus got at a discount price, every so often a slab of meat that Eve still had to prepare for the market, or, if we're lucky, a loaf of bread from the bakers, and a small fireplace that stuck outside.

"Well we've had a pretty good harvest this year, you know." Angus answers from the kitchen, chuckling a bit at the amazement in our voices.

_Not really. _

The bacon was cooking in a skillet above the open flame, and three plates with a portion of eggs were already sitting on the counter. My stomach did a flip-flop.

"I thought you gave everything to the Capitol, sir," I frown slightly as I look from the eggs back to Angus.

Angus glances at me, a slight twinkle in his eyes, "Well, we all have our secrets over how we make some extra money, don't we? What the Capitol doesn't know won't hurt them, will it?"

_But it might hurt us if they find out. _

"Anyways, it's you're last reaping," Angus smiles as he flips the bacon, "Might as well make it a good one."

"Yeah…" I murmur, "Yeah, you're right. Thanks, sir." I nod at him as I grab two of the plates and set them down at the table. Eve grabs the other one and sets it down at the only other space. The table was so small that the plates all touched each other and hung off the edge.

"Is the bacon done yet?" Eve pipes up, looking back to Angus.

"Almost. The table isn't set, you know. We need forks." Angus looks back to me. I sigh and open a counter, shifting around until I find three of our five forks.

Eve and I sit down next to each other at the table, the old rickety chair creaking under my weight. Even Angus, 20 years older than I, could sit in the table fine. Angus once said that I must have had some blood of an ox to be this strong, but I didn't tell him that I could eat more than both him and Eve combined with the money I got from fighting.

_God, I should have shared more with them._

I look down at my plate as Angus takes one of our forks and gives us two pieces of bacon each. There was one extra, and he put that one on my plate.

_Especially with Angus. He never kept anything to himself. _

"Oh, I can't take this, sir" I look at Angus, "Split it between Eve and yourself."

_That I know of, anyways. _

He could secretly be feasting on bacon and ham every night after Eve and I go to the barn.

"Well it is your big day," Angus tells me, smiling. "Enjoy it, Bucky. And when you're done, give yourself a nice shave before going to the reaping. Don't need anyone thinking the Sables are one of those dirty families, do we?"

_How likely is it that Angus hoards food away from us?_

I felt the stubble on my face, scratching myself as I do.

_Eve and I were one of those dirt poor families before he saved us. _

"Yessir."

_I wouldn't want to disappoint the Capitol. _


	3. Pina's Big Moment

I have to leave my family before we reach the town square. Quiviut was accompanied by peacekeepers to the back of the stage, where he will wait to give his annual speech. He and Victoria, the victor from last year's games, would by the mentors this year. _My_ mentors this year.

Mom, dad, and Velvet went to the audience, hugging me goodbye. No words were exchanged- not yet, anyways. There would be plenty of time for goodbyes in the Justice Hall, after I volunteer. I get into line with the other 18 year old girls to check in. People smile at me in acknowledgment of the fact that I'm the one who's supposed to volunteer this year. I return their smiles. Who knows, if I'm nice enough, they _may_ pool enough money together to sponsor me with an apple or loaf of bread. And sponsors like that might save my life.

The line shuffles along quickly, and I'm soon in front. I present the woman my finger without hesitation, and she takes it gently before pricking it with a needle, drawing a small drop of blood.

"Seize the opportunity," the woman tells me, and I see the slightest wink before she moves me along. District 1's escort, Hestia, would always end her speeches with 'seize the opportunity', and it almost became a joke among the kids, and I suppose even some adults. Each district's mentor had their own saying. Each more ridiculous than the next.

It was a common enough expression, but that wink at the end… I look back to the woman. She seems to say the same thing to every girl that gets registered, but without the wink.

Even the adults from the _Capitol_ know I'm supposed to volunteer.

The thought makes me shudder. Training for the games is illegal, punishable by _death._ No one outside my family was supposed to know that I was volunteering, though I accepted that word would travel around the district as well- but it seemed as though _everyone_ in District 1 knew. No one was supposed to tell the capitol because it was a secret, and I thought no one would tell any Capitol citizens because they want glory for District 1 just as much as I do. But someone _did_ tell.

Not that it really matters though, I guess. If the Capitol was going to follow up on the laws, my head would have already gone rolling. No, the Capitol always knew who trained- everyone knew the careers trained. The Capitol citizens just want a good show, and the careers training gives them just that.

"Good luck, my little rose," Mace whispers to me as he walks by, brushing his hand against mine.

Oh, Mace… Even more so than glory for my family and District, I think I want to win for _Mace_. Mace, with his golden hair curled on his head and his eyes so soft they could- and do- melt my heart every time I look in them. Mace, with his hands so strong and words so sweet that made me trust him most of all.

"I don't need luck, Mace," I whisper to him as he walks down to the roped off area for 18 year old boys.

"I never said you did, but it can't hurt," He flashes me a smile with his oh-so-perfect teeth before I lose him in the crowd.

I will win. I will win for Mace. I will win for my family. I will win for my District. I will win for myself.

I _will _win.

Hestia comes up to stage first, greeted by a loud round of applause from the audience. She gives what seems like the same speech from last year, with the same jokes, with the same laughter from the audience.

It was all the same, and this year was no different… No more special.

I must have zoned out, because I snap out of it as Hestia ends with her signature _seize the opportunity _ to send a shiver down my spine.

Why do I think that I even have to win for Mace? Win for _anyone_?

Victoria gives her speech next, her black hair curled down her back. Quiviut stands next to her, smiling at everything she says, laughing at every joke she makes. Her speech was no different from last year's either.

The only somewhat different speech was Quiviut, and his eyes flickered over to me as he talks.

"I'm sure District 1 will be able to boast another victor this year," Quiviut finishes, followed by the whoops and cheers of the audience.

"And now, without further ado, let us begin to reap our female tribute for the 68th Hunger Games," Hestia smiles, walking to the front of the stage. Two little girls wearing pink dresses almost identical to Hestia's walk forward, struggling with a glass bowl full of slits of paper.

"Escorts in training?" A girl next to me mutters to no one in particular. I shrug slightly, just in case she directed it at me.

I'm not guaranteed to win. There's at least 3 other careers who trained _just as_ hard as me, and I could never make snares capable of catching anything.

But I'm _different _from them. I _will_ win.

_Just like Velvet _

I jump a bit, looking around as though I'll find Vicuna standing behind me, whispering lies in my ear.

"And the tribute for the 68th Hunger Games will be… Hale Allardyce," Hestia announces, clapping, "Come up here, Hale!"

A girl moves forward from the 16 year old section, standing straight and tall. She looked… _powerful_. A lot stronger than me. A lot more capable.

Hale got to the steps before she hesitated, looking back. Waiting for me to jump to her rescue and volunteer.

"Come on up here, Hale," Hestia says, though even _her_ smile wavers slightly. Hale takes each step slowly, growing paler and paler.

_"I volunteer! I volunteer as tribute!"_

_I rush up to the stage, and Hale's worry melts away as she makes her way back to her section. She gives me a nod, knowing that I'm the one who just saved her. Knowing she owes me everything._

_I stand next to my brother at the front of the stage as Blaze Lapworth volunteers for the boy's spot. We will be the two tributes from District 1, but only I will be coming home._

Closing my eyes, I picture the scene as I pictured it so many times before. The words form in my throat, though none escape my mouth. I don't even feel everyone's eyes burn into me.

"And… now… on… to… our… male… tri… bute…" Hestia begins, dragging every syllable out.

For the first time in over 20 years, District 1 will not have a volunteer.


End file.
